Lee Greenwood
Lee Greenwood (born October 27, 1942 in Los Angeles ) is an American country singer. He was one of the most successful exponents of country pop during the 1980s .
Beginnings
After his parents split up, Lee grew up on his grandparents' chicken farm in Sacramento . He started playing the saxophone at the age of seven and became a member of a dance band at the age of nine. In 1969 he joined the Chester Smith Band and had his first television appearances. A little later he was hired by country musician Del Reeves .
In 1962 he founded his first band, which was initially called Apollo and later Lee Greenwood Affair. She played mostly pop music, occurring primarily in the casinos of Las Vegas on. In Los Angeles , some records were recorded on the Paramount label there. After the band fell apart in the early 1970s, Greenwood returned to Las Vegas, where he worked as a croupier at blackjack during the day and as a singer in the evenings.
Career
In 1979 he was discovered by Larry McFaden, the band leader and bassist of Mel Tillis , while performing in Reno . After producing some demo tapes, Greenwood was signed to the Nashville MCA label as an artist and songwriter in 1981 . McFaden became his manager.
The first single, It Turns Me Inside Out , made it into the top 20 on the country charts. Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hand placed in the top 10. It was the time when pop sounds dominated country music and generated high sales. Lee Greenwood, whose slightly hoarse voice reminded one of Kenny Rogers , had caught the best possible time to start his career. The Country Music Association named him the best male singer in 1983. In the same year he had two number 1 hits: Somebody's Gonna Love You and Going, Going, Going .
This was followed by a long series of other top 10 hits, including a number of number 1 hits. His duets with Barbara Mandrell also achieved high chart placements. Most successful in 1984 was the joint single To Me , which reached number three. In the same year he won the Grammy for best country singer. The self-written song God Bless the USA , which became a hit again in early 1985 and a few years later during the Second Gulf War , increased its popularity by leaps and bounds. He has received several notable awards, including the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's Patriot Award and the American Legion National Commander's Public Relations Award. He also became the official mascot of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt .
His streak of success did not end until the early 1990s, when the New Traditionalists ousted country pop. As a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 in the USA , God Bless the USA became a hit again and his album American Patriot , which was released in 1992, was gilded.
Political opinions
Lee Greenwood is a longtime Republican Party member . Greenwood supported President George Bush in the election campaign and later his son George W. Bush and repeatedly stood up for the interests of the military. In November 2008, then US President George W. Bush appointed him for a six-year term of office of the National Council on the Arts , the highest administrative body of the National Endowment for the Arts .
Discography
Albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1982 | Inside Out |
US-  |
Country12 (107 weeks) Country |
MCA
|
| 1983 | Somebody's gonna love you |
US73 (37 weeks)US |
Country3 (71 weeks) Country |
MCA
|
| 1984 | You've Got a Good Love Comin ' |
US165 (4 weeks)US |
Country6 (50 weeks) Country |
MCA
|
| Meant for Each Other |
US89 (13 weeks) US |
Country5 (39 weeks) Country |
MCA
with Barbara Mandrell |
|
| 1985 | Streamline | - |
Country1 (51 weeks) Country |
MCA
|
| Christmas to Christmas | - |
Country29 (7 weeks) Country |
MCA
|
|
| 1986 | Love Will Find Its Way to You | - |
Country9 (32 weeks) Country |
MCA
|
| 1987 | If There's Any Justice | - |
Country38 (43 weeks) Country |
MCA
|
| 1988 | This is my country | - |
Country25 (19 weeks) Country |
MCA
|
| 1989 | If only for one night | - |
Country66 (10 weeks) Country |
MCA
|
| 1990 | Holdin 'a good hand | - |
Country69 (1 week) Country |
Capitol
|
| 1991 | A Perfect 10 | - |
Country38 (22 weeks) Country |
Capitol
|
| 1992 | American patriot |
US172  (1 week)US |
Country44 (3 weeks) Country |
Liberty
chart entry only 2015 |
| 2000 | Good old country | - |
Country66 (1 week) Country |
St. Clair
|
| 2001 | Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas | - |
Country35 (7 weeks) Country |
Country crossing
|
More albums
- 1984: The Wind Beneath My Wings
- 1991: When You're in Love (Capitol)
- 1992: Love's on the Way (Liberty)
- 1995: Totally Devoted to You (Arrival)
- 1998: Wounded Heart (Kardina)
- 2000: Same River Different Bridge (Free Falls)
- 2002: Inspirational Songs (Curb)
- 2003: Stronger Than Time (Curb)
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1985 | Greatest hits |
US163 (8 weeks)US |
Country4 (97 weeks) Country |
|
| 1989 | Greatest Hits, Volume 2 | - |
Country27 (49 weeks) Country |
|
| 2011 | 10 great songs | - |
Country63 (2 weeks) Country |
|
More compilations
- 1993: The Best of Lee Greenwood
- 1996: great hits
- 1996: God Bless the USA: The Best of Lee Greenwood
- 2002: 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection
- 2006: The Definitive Collection
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
US
|
Country
|
|||
| 1981 | It Turns Me Inside Out Inside Out |
- | - |
Country17 (22 weeks) Country |
|
| 1982 | Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands Inside Out |
- | - |
Country5 (18 weeks) Country |
|
| She's lying inside out |
- | - |
Country7 (17 weeks) Country |
||
| Ain't No Trick (It Takes Magic) Inside Out |
- | - |
Country7 (21 weeks) Country |
||
| 1983 | IOU Somebody's Gonna Love You |
- |
US53 (11 weeks) US |
Country6 (20 weeks) Country |
|
| Somebody's Gonna Love You Somebody’s Gonna Love You |
- |
US96 (2 weeks) US |
Country1 (22 weeks) Country |
||
| Going, Going, Gone Somebody’s Gonna Love You |
- | - |
Country1 (19 weeks) Country |
||
| 1984 | God Bless the USA You've Got a Good Love Comin ' |
- |
US16 (17 weeks)US |
Country7 (37 weeks) Country |
Chart entry in US only after re-publication in 2001
|
| Fool's Gold You've Got a Good Love Comin ' |
- | - |
Country3 (25 weeks) Country |
||
| You've Got a Good Love Comin ' You've Got a Good Love Comin' |
- | - |
Country9 (19 weeks) Country |
||
| The Wind Beneath My Wings The Wind Beneath My Wings |
UK49 (7 weeks) UK |
- | - | ||
| To Me Meant for Each Other |
- | - |
Country3 (20 weeks) Country |
with Barbara Mandrell
|
|
| 1985 | It Should Have Been Love by Now Meant for Each Other |
- | - |
Country19 (15 weeks) Country |
with Barbara Mandrell
|
| Dixie Road Greatest Hits |
- | - |
Country1 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| I Don't Mind the Thorns (If You're the Rose) Streamline |
- | - |
Country1 (23 weeks) Country |
||
| Don't Underestimate My Love for You Streamline |
- | - |
Country1 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| 1986 | Hearts Aren't Made to Break (They're Made to Love) Streamline |
- | - |
Country1 (22 weeks) Country |
|
| Didn't We Love Will Find Its Way to You |
- | - |
Country10 (18 weeks) Country |
||
| Mornin 'Ride Love Will Find Its Way to You |
- | - |
Country1 (24 weeks) Country |
||
| 1987 | Someone If There's Any Justice |
- | - |
Country5 (17 weeks) Country |
|
| If There's Any Justice If There's Any Justice |
- | - |
Country9 (19 weeks) Country |
||
| Touch and Go Crazy If There's Any Justice |
- | - |
Country5 (22 weeks) Country |
||
| 1988 | I Still Believe This Is My Country |
- | - |
Country12 (18 weeks) Country |
|
| You Can't Fall in Love When You're Cryin ' This Is My Country |
- | - |
Country20 (17 weeks) Country |
||
| 1989 | I'll Be Lovin 'You This Is My Country |
- | - |
Country16 (17 weeks) Country |
|
| I Love the Way He Left You If Only for One Night |
- | - |
Country43 (11 weeks) Country |
||
| I Go Crazy If Only for One Night |
- | - |
Country55 (5 weeks) Country |
||
| 1990 | Holdin 'a good hand Holdin' a good hand |
- | - |
Country2 (21 weeks) Country |
|
| We've Got It Made Holdin 'a Good Hand |
- | - |
Country14 (20 weeks) Country |
||
| 1991 | Just Like Me Holdin 'a Good Hand |
- | - |
Country52 (8 weeks) Country |
|
| Hopelessly Yours A Perfect 10 |
- | - |
Country12 (20 weeks) Country |
with Suzy Bogguss
|
|
| Between a Rock and a Heartache When You're in Love |
- | - |
Country46 (11 weeks) Country |
||
| 1992 | If You'll Let This Fool Back In When You're in Love |
- | - |
Country58 (6 weeks) Country |
|
| Before I'm Ever Over You Love’s on the Way |
- | - |
Country73 (2 weeks) Country |
||
More singles
- 1992: I Never Thought Your Memory Would Ever Go This Far
- 2002: Rocks That You Can't Move
- 2003: God Bless the USA 2003
- 2003: When a Woman's in Love
- 2008: USA Today
- 2009: Why Lie
Video albums
- 1991: God Bless the USA (video single) (US:platinum)
swell
- ↑ Lee Greenwood bio on Greenwood's official site . Accessed in 2014-14-6.
- ↑ Bush appoints Lee Greenwood to National Arts Council , Los Angeles Times. November 3, 2008.
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: UK US
- ↑ a b c Music Sales Awards: US
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Greenwood, Lee |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 27, 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Los Angeles , California , USA |